Friday's letters: Life philosophies

Published: Friday, March 9, 2012 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 6:50 p.m.

To the editor: What stands between liberals and conservatives? Life philosophies. Everyone follows a life philosophy, whether he knows it or not. Somehow, he has acquired a philosophy that guides his thoughts and actions.

There are two basic philosophies in America. One holds that truth, justice, morality and individual rights are factual, universal and unchangeable.

However, “modern intellectuals” (liberals) hold that people believe this “theory” only because their “society” taught them so. Liberals believe that morality, individual rights, even truth are “socially constructed,” so any other theory is just as good. This means that “the right to life, liberty,” etc., is only an opinion, not self-evident, and that truth “depends on what ‘is’ is.”

Therefore, “most modern thinkers maintain that society takes precedence over the individual, and the individual must be subordinated to its needs.” Hence, religious views on birth control must give way to society’s “needs.” (This affects you; if one man’s rights can be overridden, no man’s rights are secure.)

I doubt your average liberal believes all this. However, beguiled by feel-good, high-sounding rhetoric from the liberal intelligentsia, who do believe it, he follows a life philosophy that can only lead to the extinction of individual rights and subjugation to “society.”

Boyd Peyton

Hendersonville

Protect marriage

To the editor: We will only have one opportunity to vote for marriage in North Carolina. That is the pro-marriage amendment on the ballot in the May 8 primary. It will not be on the November ballet. That is not much time to make people aware of this.

A vote for the amendment protects the current definition of marriage, which states marriage is between one man and one woman. The amendment protects same-sex couple’s right to enter into contractual relationships, but those relationships will not be called marriage by the state.

The entire two-sentence, nonpartisan amendment will not be shown on the ballot, just the first sentence. Google N.C. House Bill 514 to read it.

To not vote at all has the same result as a vote against marriage. Everyone who wants to see marriage protected needs to go to the polls, or vote early, and vote for the amendment. Please vote for the marriage amendment during early election or with an absentee ballot between April 19 and May 5.

Please share this information with your church, your circle of friends and any area of influence you have. For more information, go to www.voteformarriagenc.com/. If you can help locally, visit www.ccactionteam.org.

Jane Huchzermeier

Mills River

Pimco and the ASF

To the editor: Haven’t said this in a long time, but a wonderful thing has happened on Wall Street. Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund group, has quit the American Securitization Forum.

Now if you’re like me, you’ve never heard of this “forum.” But Washington listens to the ASF representing both those banks selling bundled mortgages into “securities,” and the bond funds that have purchased those securities. They have very different wants and needs — think slick used car salesman vs. your mother-in-law.

By 2008, we knew the banks told some “whoppers” regarding bundled mortgage quality. Turns out, the banks’ mortgage servicing standards stink as well, hurting everyone including the bondholders. Still, they remained mute.

Then AG Holder announced broad details of the “mortgage settlement” (which as of Feb. 29 was still not signed). He made it sound like the banks set aside $26 billion to help distressed homeowners.

Not true. Turns out roughly half of the actual money is extracted from the bond group — those same victims of the original bank lies. This governmental deceit has proved too much for Pimco, prompting withdrawal from ASF. Let’s hope it speaks out about everything so you and I can finally learn the truth.

William F. Fitch

Hendersonville

Marriage equality

To the editor: As one clergyperson to another, I want to commend the Rev. Jerry Miller for his stand against Amendment One in his March 2 “Wrong message” letter. The amendment is little more than homophobia parading under the guise of “protecting marriage.”

That the legislature should deny marriage — the open and public celebration of committed love between two persons — to any couple because of their sexual orientation is shameful. But to propose to enshrine that intolerance in our North Carolina constitution is outrageous.

Marriage equality is long overdue in North Carolina. We should be broadening our understanding of marriage as an expression of committed love between two people regardless of their gender, rather than seeking to limit the expression of love that knows no boundaries. The least we can do is vote down Amendment One as the narrow, bigoted outrage it is.

<p>To the editor: What stands between liberals and conservatives? Life philosophies. Everyone follows a life philosophy, whether he knows it or not. Somehow, he has acquired a philosophy that guides his thoughts and actions.</p><p>There are two basic philosophies in America. One holds that truth, justice, morality and individual rights are factual, universal and unchangeable.</p><p>However, modern intellectuals (liberals) hold that people believe this theory only because their society taught them so. Liberals believe that morality, individual rights, even truth are socially constructed, so any other theory is just as good. This means that the right to life, liberty, etc., is only an opinion, not self-evident, and that truth depends on what is’ is.</p><p>Therefore, most modern thinkers maintain that society takes precedence over the individual, and the individual must be subordinated to its needs. Hence, religious views on birth control must give way to society’s needs. (This affects you; if one man’s rights can be overridden, no man’s rights are secure.)</p><p>I doubt your average liberal believes all this. However, beguiled by feel-good, high-sounding rhetoric from the liberal intelligentsia, who do believe it, he follows a life philosophy that can only lead to the extinction of individual rights and subjugation to society.</p><p><em>Boyd Peyton</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Protect marriage</h3>
<p>To the editor: We will only have one opportunity to vote for marriage in North Carolina. That is the pro-marriage amendment on the ballot in the May 8 primary. It will not be on the November ballet. That is not much time to make people aware of this.</p><p>A vote for the amendment protects the current definition of marriage, which states marriage is between one man and one woman. The amendment protects same-sex couple’s right to enter into contractual relationships, but those relationships will not be called marriage by the state.</p><p>The entire two-sentence, nonpartisan amendment will not be shown on the ballot, just the first sentence. Google N.C. House Bill 514 to read it.</p><p>To not vote at all has the same result as a vote against marriage. Everyone who wants to see marriage protected needs to go to the polls, or vote early, and vote for the amendment. Please vote for the marriage amendment during early election or with an absentee ballot between April 19 and May 5.</p><p>Please share this information with your church, your circle of friends and any area of influence you have. For more information, go to www.voteformarriagenc.com/. If you can help locally, visit www.ccactionteam.org.</p><p><em>Jane Huchzermeier</em></p><p><em>Mills River</em></p><h3>Pimco and the ASF</h3>
<p>To the editor: Haven’t said this in a long time, but a wonderful thing has happened on Wall Street. Pimco, the world’s largest bond fund group, has quit the American Securitization Forum.</p><p>Now if you’re like me, you’ve never heard of this forum. But Washington listens to the ASF representing both those banks selling bundled mortgages into securities, and the bond funds that have purchased those securities. They have very different wants and needs  think slick used car salesman vs. your mother-in-law.</p><p>By 2008, we knew the banks told some whoppers regarding bundled mortgage quality. Turns out, the banks’ mortgage servicing standards stink as well, hurting everyone including the bondholders. Still, they remained mute.</p><p>Then AG Holder announced broad details of the mortgage settlement (which as of Feb. 29 was still not signed). He made it sound like the banks set aside $26 billion to help distressed homeowners.</p><p>Not true. Turns out roughly half of the actual money is extracted from the bond group  those same victims of the original bank lies. This governmental deceit has proved too much for Pimco, prompting withdrawal from ASF. Let’s hope it speaks out about everything so you and I can finally learn the truth.</p><p><em>William F. Fitch</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p><h3>Marriage equality</h3>
<p>To the editor: As one clergyperson to another, I want to commend the Rev. Jerry Miller for his stand against Amendment One in his March 2 Wrong message letter. The amendment is little more than homophobia parading under the guise of protecting marriage.</p><p>That the legislature should deny marriage  the open and public celebration of committed love between two persons  to any couple because of their sexual orientation is shameful. But to propose to enshrine that intolerance in our North Carolina constitution is outrageous.</p><p>Marriage equality is long overdue in North Carolina. We should be broadening our understanding of marriage as an expression of committed love between two people regardless of their gender, rather than seeking to limit the expression of love that knows no boundaries. The least we can do is vote down Amendment One as the narrow, bigoted outrage it is.</p><p><em>The Rev. Richard W. Kelley</em></p><p><em>Retired Unitarian Universalist minister</em></p><p><em>Hendersonville</em></p>